,i SANITARY COMMISSION, 

IVo, 45. 


Regulations of the New York Agency of the Commission, and 
for its Transport Service on the Atlantic Coast. 

I. 

The general management of the affairs of the Commission in New 
York and the Eastern States is placed in the hands of the Superintendent 
of the New York Agency, under the general direction of the Executive 
Committee. He shall appoint such clerks and messengers as the business 
of the office shall require, and assign them their respective duties, and they 
shall be directly responsible to him. The Transportation Agent shall also 
report daily to him, and act under his direction, and perform such duties 
in the office and elsewhere as may be assigned to him whenever not en¬ 
gaged in the special duties of his place. 


2 . 

The Superintendent alone shall draw on the Treasurer for the expenses 
of the office and of the transport service, and shall keep an account of all 
receipts and disbursements, and take receipts therefor. He shall pay all 
salaries weekly, except those of persons employed in the transport service, 
which shall be paid immediately on their arrival in New York. 


3. 

All bills for services or supplies ordered by any member or agent of the 
Commission, in the city of New York, must be certified by the person 
ordering them, and passed on by the Committee before payment. The 
Committee shall have powder, in special cases, to dispense with the certifi¬ 
cate. When approved by the Committee, the Superintendent shall cause 
the bill to be paid forthwith. No open accounts are to be kept. 

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The Executive Committee will meet at the office of the Commission 
every day, Sundays excepted, at three P. M. One member shall be com¬ 
petent to act. Minutes or memoranda of the business transacted at each 
meeting shall be kept in the book provided for that purpose. Its order of 
business shall be : 

1. Examination of bills presented by the Superintendent, and of his 
accounts. 

2. Examination of persons offering their services as surgeons, dressers, 
and nurses, or for other positions in the transport service. 

3. Reports from agents of the Commission. 

4. Correspondence. 

5. Miscellaneous business. 

At each meeting the Superintendent shall report the cash balance 
standing to the credit of the Commission on that day. 

5 . 

All letters and telegrams, on business of the Commission, received at 
the office are to be filed for convenient reference, and press copies are to be 
preserved of all such letters and despatches sent from the office. A list is 
to be kept and conspicuously posted of all letters received for agents or 
officers of the Commission, and such letters are to be forwarded at once, if 
possible, or, if not, to be kept until called for—a memorandum being pre¬ 
served of the disposition of each. 


A Register shall be kept, under the direction of the Superintendent, of 
all sick or wounded men brought to New York on any transport of the 
Commission. Such Register shall state the name, rank, regiment, com¬ 
pany, and residence of each patient, the nature and severity of his wound 
or disease, and the disposition made of him on his leaving the transport, 
with any further information in regard to him that may be material. 


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" ' There shall also be a Register of all persons employed in the transport 
^ service of the Commission, specifying the name, age, residence, and busi¬ 
ness of each, on what transport he is serving, and in what capacity, whe¬ 
ther paid or as a volunteer, and if paid, at what rate, and in what capacity, 
if any, he has been previously employed by the Commission, with refer¬ 
ences to the confidential reports to be made by Medical Directors of trans¬ 
ports after each trip, as to the capacity and conduct of those serving under 
them respectively. 

Ihere shall also be a Register of applicants for positions on transports or 
for hospital service at the seat of war, stating the name, age, residence, 
and business of each, his references, the position for which he applies, the 
compensation, if any, he expects, and the notice he will require before 
leaving home—with the name of the member of the Committee by whom 
he has been examined and approved. 

There shall be an Inquiry Book, in which persons calling at the office 
for information can enter the question they ask, and the place to which 
answers are to be addressed. 


7 . 

Applicants for positions in the transport service will apply to the Com¬ 
mittee, at the office of the Commission, at half-past three P. M. If ap¬ 
proved, they will be assigned to duty at once, or their names will be regis¬ 
tered for vacancies that may occur. They must subscribe a declaration of 
their loyalty to Government, and a promise to conform strictly to the rules 
of the Commission, and obey all orders of the Medical Director or his 
representative, in the following form : 

“ I,-, do certify and declare that I am true and loyal to the 

“Government of the United States of America, and that my object in 
“ applying for the position of in the service of the Sanitary 

“ Commission, is that I may aid the National cause by rendering assist- 
“ ance to the sick and wounded of the National Army. And I promise to 
“ fulfil my duties as such to the best of my ability, and to 

“ render prompt obedience to all orders of the Medical Director of the 
“ transport to which I shall be assigned, or of his representatives, with the 
“ distinct understanding that for any act of insubordination or other mis- 
“ conduct, I am liable to be at once discharged from service, and put on 
“ shore.” 



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8 . 

Requisitions on tlie Medical Purveyor, Assistant Quartermaster, and 
Commissary of Subsistence, shall be made by the usual printed forms. 
Copies of these forms shall be bound up in book form, and filled up, so as 
to be duplicates of those sent in. Each copy shall specify the transport 
for which such requisition was made. 

9. 

For each transport there shall be a Medical Director, w 7 ith assistants, a 
Quartermaster, an Apothecary, and as many dressers and nurses as may 
be required. All orders of the Medical Director are to be obeyed by 
every person on his transport in the service of the Commission. 

The Quartermaster has charge, under the Medical Director, of all stores 
and supplies (except those in charge of the apothecary.) He is also re¬ 
sponsible for the order and condition of the quarters of the patients, and of 
those assigned to the agents of the Commission, and others. 

In cases of haste and emergency, of which the Medical Director is to be 
the judge, any agent of the Commission may be assigned to any office or 
put on any duty the Director may think expedient, without regard to the 
particular capacity in w T hich he is employed. 

10 . 

On leaving port, it is the duty of the Medical Director to divide the ship 
into suitable wards; to see that all berths and cots are conspicuously 
numbered; to assign to each ward, provisionally, its medical officer, 
dressers, and nurses, and, generally, to see that the transport is in all re¬ 
spects ready for the reception and treatment of patients. 

On arriving at his destination, he will report, in writing, to the nearest 
executive officer of the Commission, and to the Assistant Quartermaster 
and Medical Director of the post, stating what number of men he is 
prepared to receive, and giving any information in his power as to 
the class of cases for which the transport is best suited. During the re¬ 
ception of patients on Board, he will, so far as his professional duties per¬ 
mit, exercise a general supervision over the ship’s Quartermaster, to see 
that the men’s effects are carefully marked and stowed away, and that no 
one but the Quartermaster and his assistants has an opportunity to inter¬ 
fere with them ; and he will cause every complaint as to the loss of effects 
or money by any patient to be promptly investigated. He will see that 
the Quartermaster prepares a full and accurate list of patients on board, 


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for the purpose of registry, as provided in § 6, and in case of the 
death of a patient, that any articles he may have about him which would 
be valued by his family are carefully put up and marked for transmission 
to them. 

On arriving at New York he will report, in person, forthwith, to the office 
of the Commission, and as soon as the patients are discharged, will return 
the list above mentioned to the office, and also a copy of the roster, with a 
confidential report as to the conduct and capacity of all agents of the 
Commission employed on that trip. It is desirable also, that he make as 
soon as practicable a general report in writing to the Executive Com¬ 
mittee, stating any special matters connected with the trip, and, in particu¬ 
lar, any improvements in the management of the transport service, which 
his experience may enable him to suggest, and any facts that have come 
under his observation, in regard to the Sanitary condition of the Shore 
Hospitals and of the Army generally. 

11 . 

Such reports will also be made, if the ship discharge her patients at any 
port other than New York. The Medical Director will in that case, how¬ 
ever, report in person, immediately on his arrival, to the office or repre¬ 
sentative of the Commission, if any, at such port. 


12 . 

It is the duty of the Quartermaster to attend on board the transport 
while in port, fitting up for her next trip. He will see that the stores are 
properly stowed when received on board, and that they correspond with 
the orders given, and will give receipts for them on their delivery to ac¬ 
company the bills. He will see that no depredations are committed, and 
that all wine and spirits are securely kept. He is to make up a complete 
invoice of all stores taken on board, and of the surplus, if any, after the 
last preceding trip, and must be able at once to find any portion of them 
when required for use. 

He is also to assign quarters to all agents of the Commission on board, 
and to see that they are in proper order, and to attend to the police of so 
much of the transport as is used for hospital purposes. He will make a 
thorough inspection of the Wards daily, and when the ship has patients 
on board, twice a day, and will cause them to be thoroughly cleaned, all 
litter and refuse food to be removed from them, and from the deck, and 
everything offensive to be promptly removed. 


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He will keep a record of all stores issued by him, and will immediately, 
on his return, report to the Superintendent a statement of what is left. 

When patients are being brought on board, it is his duty to stand at 
the gangway, with such assistants as may be required, to number each 
man, and receive from him his knapsack, or other property ; affix to it a 
ticket with a corresponding number, and see it safely stowed away. If 
(contrary to regulations) the men bring their arms with them, and there be 
no officer of the IT. S. A. by whom they can be taken back to their proper 
place of deposit, they will be numbered and put away in like manner. 

It is the duty of all the officers, but especially of the Quartermaster, to 
repress any improper conduct on the part of the nurses and servants, and 
to report it at once to the Medical Director. 


13. 

The Apothecary is to prepare an invoice of the medical stores in his 
charge, and to report to the Superintendent, on his return, what portion of 
them remain unexpended. He is to issue no wine or spirits except on the 
written order of the Medical Director, which orders will be returned to the 
Superintendent as a voucher for the amount consumed. 


14. 

On the arrival of a transport, the Transportation Agent will board her 
forthwith, and take the necessary steps to prepare her for another trip with 
the least possible delay. He will obtain the signature of a member of the 
Executive Committee to the necessary requisitions, and deliver them at the 

proper offices, and do all in his power to expedite the issuing of the stores 

✓ 

called for, and their delivery on board—purchase such other stores as may 
be required—send bedding to the laundry—have the ship cleaned and 
disinfected—and give directions for any work required to be done on 
board. 

He will notify all persons furnishing supplies or labor, that their bills 
must be sent to the Superintendent’s office immediately on the completion 
of the work or delivery of the goods. 


15. 

On the arrival of a transport, the volunteers in the service of the Com¬ 
mission attached to it, will forthwith report to the Superintendent, and state 


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whether they desire to continue in such service. And all paid agents at¬ 
tached to it, will also report to the Superintendent forthwith, and present 
theii claims for compensation. Omission to do so for three days, (except 
in case of illness,) will be considered equivalent to a waiver of all claim for 
compensation. 


1 «. 


As perfect subordination is absolutely indispensable, no distinction can 
be made in the transport service between volunteers and paid agents in 
the transport service. Both classes must be alike prepared to devote 
themselves wholly to their duties, and to obey the orders of their superior 
officers with equal promptitude, while in the employ of the Commission. 


a r. 

The transports of the Commission cannot be used for the accommoda¬ 
tion of persons visiting the seat of war for the gratification of curiosity, or 
for private and personal reasons. But Medical Directors are authorized to 
give shelter and rations to officers of the Army, and others on public ser¬ 
vice, who may be unable otherwise to procure them. 


IS. 

Medical Directors will use the utmost vigilance to exclude from their 
transports such men as are but slightly ailing, and ought not to leave 
their regiments. They will, if possible, put themselves in communication 
on this subject with the proper military and medical authorities most 
readily accessible, stating that the Commission has heretofore been re¬ 
quired to convey North many whose ailments were too slight to entitle 
them to sick leave, and that the patriotic bounty of the people entrusted 
to the Commission has been thus misapplied and perverted, against its 
protest, and requesting that some duly authorized officer be detailed to 
inspect all officers and men sent on board as invalids, and decide whether 
they are or are not fit for duty. 

The names of all “malingerers” detected during the home voyage will 
be noted by the Director. lie will forbid their leaving the ship until they 
have been reported to the proper military authority at her port, and al¬ 
lowed by him to do so. 


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19 . 

The Transportation Agent will keep the public informed, through the 
daily press, of the arrival and sailing of the transports of the Commission. 


‘ 20 . 

Immediately on the arrival of a Commission transport at Washington, 
Baltimore, Philadelphia, or Boston, the representatives of the Commission 
at that port will inspect her, and report in writing to the Executive Com¬ 
mittee their opinion as to her order and cleanliness, the efficiency of her 
medical staff, and the condition of her patients, and also whether they 
hear complaints by any of the latter of misconduct by agents of the Com¬ 
mission, and whether they can suggest any change that will render the 
transport service more efficient. 


21 . 

Ladies volunteering for service on transports must consider themselves 
bound while on duty to the strict subordination which is required of all 
persons employed by the Commission. 


22 . 

No one employed by the Commission is allowed to leave the transport 
to which he is attached without express permission from the Medical 
Director. Furloughs at a home port can be granted only by the Execu¬ 
tive Committee. 


23. 

The Quartermaster shall report to the Executive Committee the name 
and rank of any person allowed by Government transportation on any 
transport of the Commission. 


24. 

As soon as possible after the arrival of any transport at New York the 
Transportation Agent will telegraph to the principal Executive Officer of 
the Commission, and to the Assistant Quartermaster and Medical Director 
at her point of destination, stating what number of patients she can carry 
and when she will be ready to return. 



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25. 

iNo person employed by the Commission in its transport service shall, 
under any pretext, receive compensation, in any form, from any soldier or 
other patient, or from any person allowed transportation by Government, 
for services of any nature whatever. 


It is the duty of any Agent of the Commission who shall become aware 
of the existence of any abuse or the occurrence of any misconduct on his 
transport to report the same to the Medical Director forthwith, and to the 
Superintendent on the arrival of the transport at New York. 

27 . . 

No gaming for money is permitted on any transport. 

as. 

No person but the Medical Director is authorized or allowed to take 
charge of any money or valuables belonging to a patient, except such as 
the Quartermaster is to receive from patients when brought on board. 

29. 

Persons entering the service of the Commission as volunteers will be 
allowed their necessary expenses of board and travel during the intervals 
between the trips of their transports, But they will, under no pretext, be 
allowed compensation for past services. 


30 . 

A copy of these Rules will be furnished to every person employed in 
the transport service. 

Adopted July 15th, 18G2. 

Henry W. Bellows, 

Fred’k Law Olmsted, 

W. H. Van Buren, M. D., 

Cornelius R. Agnew, M. D., 
Wolcott Gibbs, M. D., 

G. T. Strong, 

q 


Executive Committee. 





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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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